, Montana indie-emo band Hey, ILY snuck in what looks like a mission statement. Lead guitarist Trevin Baker and front man Caleb Haynes mention their instruments, of course, but also their “average” or “above average” skill at Nintendo’s—add in the assorted credits for “dad jokes,” “sweater champion,” and “cool sunglasses,” and you get a good feel for the band’s obsession with video games and nonchalance about rock ’n’ roll conventions.
I know he’s an actual human person melding chiptune with indie rock, but he might as well be a sentient video game powered by fifth-wave emo memes. On, Hey, ILY sound more like a real live band—the kind that plays DIY shows in hot, cramped basements dripping with condensation. As they’ve evolved, they’ve expanded their musical vocabulary in several directions.